Octatonic Scales

(Note: Midi files of many of the examples are included at this site. To learn how to play these files on your machine, go to Midi Setup.)

An octatonic scale consists of alternating whole and half steps.
It is an eight-tone scale; that is, eight tones are required to
fill in the octave. According to McHose, the octatonic scale was
first used by Rimski-Korsakov. His student, Igor Stravinsky used
it extensively, especially in the Rite of Spring.